This invention relates to liquid compositions for cleaning a wide variety of hard surfaces such as metallic, plastic, tile, porcelain, glass and mirrored surfaces. More specifically this invention relates to hard surface cleaners which can be used in a no rinse mode whereby the composition is brought into contact with the surface to be cleaned and then removed therefrom by wiping the surface with a dry cloth.
In the past compositions for cleaning hard surfaces in a no rinse mode have been formulated specifically, as either glass and mirrored surface cleaners, or as general hard surface cleaners for cleaning a varity of surfaces other than glass or mirrored surfaces. As formulated these prior art cleaners could not be used interchangeably. One reason for this is that the general hard surface cleaners, in order to be effective in removing a wide variety of solids contained rather large quantities of nonvolatile ingredients such as surfactants and builders. Due to the high content of these nonvolatile ingredients the general hard surface cleaners tended to smear or streak glass or mirrored surfaces. Conversely when a glass or mirror cleaner was used on hard surfaces such as tile, metal, or porcelain, incomplete cleaning of soils such as grease resulted due to the low content of the nonvolatile ingredients in these cleaners.
An example of prior art compositions which were formulated primarily for cleaning glass and mirrored surfaces are those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,735 to Stonebreaker et al. These compositions contain relatively minor amounts of nonvolatile ingredients, a surfactant and a builder, along with a mixture of volatile ingredients, a combination of solvents, ammonia and water. Applicant has surprisingly found that by adding as little as 0.011% by weight of a fluorinated hydrocarbon surfactant and by adjusting the levels of the volatile materials in the Stonebreaker et al. compositions, a composition is achieved which is capable of functioning equally well as both a glass and mirror cleaner and as a general hard surface cleaner.